Meet Mikel Arteta’s Wife, Who Had No Idea Spaniard Was a Footballer When the Pair Met

• Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta married his partner Lorena Bernal in 2010
• Lorena is a former Miss Spain winner having won the award at 17 in 1999
• The stunning model had no idea Arteta was a pro footballer when they met

Mikel Arteta’s wife, Lorena Bernal, stole the show on Tuesday, May 28, during the Globe Soccer Awards.

Lorena’s sultry looks threatened to steal the shine away from her husband during the event held in Sardinia, Italy, after Arteta won the “Best Premier League Coach” award.

The Spaniard won the coveted award despite Arsenal ending the season in second place behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

He was joined in Italy by his stunning wife Lorena, who dazzled in a blue dress on Tuesday.

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When Lorena met Mikel Arteta

The love story between the Arsenal manager and the 2002 Miss Spain has a hilarious spin to it.

Lorena was born in Argentina in 1981 but moved to Spain when she was one.

According to Express Sport, she pursued a modelling career early on and was named Miss Spain in 1999, aged just 17. Because of her tender age, she could not represent herself in Miss Universe.

Since then, she has worked as a TV host and actress in America and Spain, appearing in shows like Chuck and CSI: Miami.

As a person of many talents, the model can speak fluently in various languages, including French, Spanish, and English.

When the pair met in 2002, Lorena had no idea Arteta was a professional football player, according to SunSport.

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In September 2023, Arteta subtly backed those claims using an analogy of how he initially struggled to coerce his wife.

His analogy was meant to send a message to Arsenal forward Kai Havertz, who was struggling for form at the time.

“I said to Havertz: things are hard at the beginning,” Arteta said in the wake of Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Manchester United, as quoted on GOAL.

“When I met my wife, at the beginning, it was hard to conquer her. It was hard; I had to try and message her, and go, and go.”

“And at the end, when she says Yes, we can be together, it’s beautiful”.

Where was Arteta in 2002?

In 2002, Arteta was a member of the Barcelona B team, on loan at Paris Saint Germain - a club he joined midway through the 2000-2001 season.

Being only 19, Arteta was at the beginning of his football career, while Lorena was much further in her respective career in modelling and acting.

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The couple married in 2010 and have three sons: Daniel, Gabriel and Oliver.

Arteta’s message to rivals

Sports Brief also reported on Mikel Arteta’s message to rivals after winning the Premier League Coach of the Year award.

Despite only securing the Community Shield in the 2023–24 campaign, Arsenal had one of their best-ever Premier League seasons.

Finishing with 89 points, the North London side chalked up a club milestone of 28 wins from 38 fixtures.